Thursday, May 25, 2006

Romans 12:12
Be joyful in hope, patient in suffering, persist in prayer

James 1: 2-4
Dear brothers and sisters, whenever trouble comes your way, let it be an opportunity for joy. For when your faith is tested, your endurance has an opportunity to grow. So let it grow, for when your endurance is fully developed, you will be strong in character and ready for anything.


Why bother to hope?
To hope is really the fundamental thing we do as Christian. We don't have fate, but we always have our last hope when we don't have any other hopes: God. In every closed door and walls, we know it is never the end of the road in God. We hope because there is nothing impossible in God. God will make a way where there is no way. It's because we always have hope that we can endure and continue on in the midst of tribulation and pressure. In 1 Thessalonians 1:3 we learn that hope produces patience. Hope looks beyond the present trial and lays hold of the promises of God.

We constantly rejoicing in the hope that we have, which is guaranteed because God says it. As we hope, we can do so with confident and rejoicing expectancy because God's promises are yes and amen. Because we know the hope that we have is not empty hopes.

Why be patient? In suffering?!
The word "patient" carries the idea of staying under the trials of life, persevering, bearing up under, staying with it, "hanging in there," not giving up but keep going on in spite of all the difficulties and obstacles and problems and pressures! Why? Because God not only promises good things in the day light, but also in darkness. In fact, there are lots of God's blessings that we can only experience in the suffering. We won't see stars in the mornings, that's for sure. Because we know through suffering God always plans for goods. Because we know there's no victory withtout the battles. Because we know that something great (God's promises) are worth to fight and wait for.

James 1:3 "Because you know that the testing of your faith gives you the power of going on in hope. So let patience have its perfect work, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking nothing."


Why pray?
Hmmm weird question. Lol. Prayer keeps you connected to the Heaven in one line. It's a personal and intimate connection with God. We experience God and God experiences us. We talk to God and God talks back. We share our deepest secrets and so does God. What is most important is that through prayers we experience God's character, listening and understands His will. Prayers = words of powerful actions. It heals, forgives, supports, comforts. They do more than what we can do as humans. Prayers knock the Heaven doors and God's hearts. Through prayers we lift up our hopes and God gives us joy. Trhough prayers we lift up our pains and God gives us more patients. Persistent prayers are prayers of warriors. It's powerful and ain't giving up.

James 1:6 "Ask boldly, believingly, without a second thought. People who "worry their prayers" are like wind-whipped waves."

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